Rose Garden
by warm-blankets
Summary: Rose made a decision at the age of fourteen that would effect her whole entire future, and possibly the future of the demigod world. At the age of fourteen, pressured by her father, a minor god, she joined Kronos' army. Locked in a fierce battle between wrong and right, Rose has to lean towards what's right, not what's easy. Set in between The Lightening Thief and Sea of Monsters.
1. Chapter 1

**In between Lightning Thief and Sea of Monsters. Main character, Roslyn Blair, is a fourteen year old daughter of Zelus, god of dedication, living in the Hermes cabin even though she, but no one else, knows her parentage. Zelus is an OC god. More will be explained. Please review.**

* * *

It was when I first met my father. Of course, nobody knew about it. But it was still a memory I had gone over so many times that I wasn't sure I was remembering the right words.

Demigod dreams aren't just dreams. They're prophecies, or messages, and whatnot. I will answer your question. No, the gods will not let us sleep. It's useless, I haven't had a dreamless night since – oh, the gods know when. But here's how I met my father.

It was an empty room. The ceiling, walls and floors were polished white marble, with a man standing, dressed in a white Greek toga. His face, ageless. He seemed to blend into the marble. I could recognize myself in him. The thick, wavy brown hair. How our feet always pointed a little bit outward. Small features I didn't even know I had.

I'd expect I know who a god was on first sight. Was this Hermes, my father? Was my father Hermes? I am an unclaimed, I don't know. I just live in the Hermes cabin. It wouldn't be a life-changing decision, me and my mother are totally fine on our own, it's not like I need a deadbeat dad right now.

Despite a promise I would never look, or speak, at my father, I said, "Who are you?"

My father turned around and smiled. "Of course, my dear, you should know who I am?"

I was supposed to say something witty, something that would embarrass him, but to my credit the only words I said were, "Are you my… uh.. dad?" I was not used to saying the word dad. It felt foreign on my tongue.

"I am Zelus. But, yes, in other words, your father."

_My father. _A million accusations popped into my head. Why'd he leave mom? Who is the god Zelus, because I've never heard of him, have I? But I decided to stay quiet.

"Who… who are you?" I ask. In retrospect, it was a bit of a stupid question.

"Rose," _He called me Rose. Only Mom calls me Rose. _"Nobody has heard of Zelus. A minor god. Overlooked. Nevertheless, my power is what defines me. Granted, I am no Zeus or Poseidon. But dedication and jealousy is what can define something. Make it or break it."

Speechless. I was speechless. God of dedication and jealousy? Really? I wanted to ask him questions, questions about my mother and our abandonment, but I let him continue.

"Roslyn, I have spent my millenia at the throne of Zeus. A winged diety who stood in attendace of the God of Skies. You will soon find the answers to many questions. They may not be the answers you expected, but they will be there. You will play a role in something great. Something already stirring. You feel ignored right now, yes?"

"Yes." Because no matter how much I tried to deny it, it was true. I was ignored. Just another unclaimed kid in the Hermes cabin, nothing special because nobody knew who she was.

"You've heard of Hecate, goddess of magic? And Nemisis, goddess of retribution and equality?" I nod, and he continues. "We feel it is time for a new era. It is inevitable. The Gods simply have there Council, and that is that. They look over a minor god. But sometimes, minor gods have the most powerful gifts. Hecate, persay. Or Morpheus. Nemisis. We make things equal.

"The gods are selfish. I say that because I am one, Roslyn. We take. We leave and don't return. You will understand in time, my dear. Kronos, Titan lord, is rising, the '_minor gods_' with him. The Gods will be overthrown. I will not force you to do what I want. But please, Roslyn. You want recognition, to be noticed? To be cared about?"

I got my voice back and interrupted him before he said any more.

"You came all this way? ALL THIS WAY, after not talking to me and my mother, leaving her HEARTBROKEN, and you say oh, sorry, look, join the TITANS? That's irony, when you say that I want recognition but YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE THE DECENCY TO CLAIM ME!"

"I can't," He snapped back sharply. My outburst surprised him. But I'm on a roll, so I continue.

"I'd would've liked a little recognition, from you! Leaving my mother in a depression until I was twelve. YOU MAKE HER SUFFER FOR YOUR OWN SELFISH NEEDS!"

So, telling off a god isn't a good idea. I just began throwing words around until they weren't even sentences.

My dream ended in a snap, my last glimpse of Zelus a cold, stony face that wasn't human-like at all.

* * *

That twelve-year Poseidon kid with a big ego and the Athena girl who's been here forever have been causing a fuss all over campus. A few days ago they came back with Grover, stating how they saved Olympus from a civil war. It's nice to see a fresh face go on a quest and come back.

But we're all worried about his father. The Big Three (Poseidon, Zeus, Hades) made a pact after WWII they would never have anymore mortal offspring, in fear of the next Big Prophecy. But yet, here's the son of Poseidon, decades later.

I've never heard the prophecy, but according to Chiron, Annabeth has. I don't think I want to know, honestly. It sounds pretty dangerous, and I know I can't be trusted with that kind of information.

"Hey," I turn my shoulder and see Jaden. His blue eyes sparkling and his Camp Half-Blood shirt sandy from the volleyball pits. You'd never expect, but I made friends with a pretty-boy. An _Aphrodite _boy, for Gods' sakes. But I was pretty determined to get a friend, so I played volleyball with him everyday. I was pretty dedicated. My fathers' _wonderful _qualities coming out in me.

"Hey," I said. Lately, I had developed a teensy, crush on him. Just a little bit, though. But I wasn't going to lose my cool. He's adorable and genuinely nice. A hard quality to find.

He sat down on the picnic bench I was sitting on with a view of the Long Island Sound. "Selina taught me how to ride a pegasus today. Man, I wish I could fly."

I laughed. I love his random blurbs about his day. "That's pretty awesome. I mean, I'd be great to fly. Did you hear about what happened between Jackson and Luke?"

"The turned-into-a-scorpion story? Yep. Got all the details from one of the Apollo guys. They're still treating me like I'm stupid, though. I am _not_ another stupid kid of Aphrodite. I swear on the Styx I will show them someday, Rose."

I frowned. I've never seen a kid a sensitive as Jaden. Every mean word stings like a bee to him. He doesn't let things bounce off of him - they go straight to his head, and he takes offence to them. "You're not. Trust me, Jaden. Anyways, that Jackson kid, Percy I think, went out by the harbor and Luke set a scorpion on him and disappeared. To tell the truth, I don't miss Luke. He was rude to me and overrated. He'll start something with the gods, I'll show you."

Jaden nodded. "But you have to respect him about the Thalia-tree-story though."

"I know."

He looks at me, his big blue eyes shining. "You know you can tell me anything."

I almost choked up. I have never had a close relationship with someone except for my mother, and Jaden, I guess, was the closest I could even get to trusting someone. But at Camp Half-Blood, you're never alone, whether you like it or not.

"I know," I felt my thoat starting to close, and I knew tears were on the way. "I know, but, I'm not sure I'm ready to talk about it yet." I closed my eyes and turned away from him. Everything has been so confusing. I don't want to be in this stupid world with gods and heroes. I want to go back to when I believed I was a mortal. When it was me and mom, just us, not big-shot demigods and rather rude gods.

He stood up and wiped his hands on his jeans. "Alright. But let me know when you're ready, Rose."

"Ok." I knew if I walked into the Hermes cabin crying I'd be the subject to many jokes, so I took a walk down to the forest and and decided I'd talk to Brooke, the naiad.

I had met Brooke a few months ago when I slipped and fell, headfirst, into her stream during Capture The Flag. I'll admit it was pretty embarrassing. But she's nice, and I love the peaceful aura around her. The rushing of the water, the minnows swimming…

"Roslyn," Brooke greeted me. Her hair was a Carribean-sea-blue, long and lusterious, her skin pale with a tiny blue touch. She wasn't like other naiads, shallow and self-absorbed. She was sweet, and was welcoming.

"Hey, Brooke," I say. I sit down in a pile of green foliage next to Brooke, who's sitting cross-legged in her stream.

"What's new?" She asked. Subconsciously, she was making the water in the stream churn around her.

"Same stupid camp," I mutter. "Archery's horrible, and nobody knows my name."

She looked nervous. "I'm scared, Rose. When the blonde demigod let out that poisonous scorpion, it was two inches from the stream. Two inches and then this would been… would've been.." She had trouble finishing her sentence. "Poisoned." Chlorpyhll dripped down her cheeks, the tears of nature spirits and naiads.

"It's alright." I knew those two words wouldn't make a difference, so I continued. "Luke is gone now. Nobody knows where he is. Although I do have an idea."

She looked up at me. "Really?"

"Yeah. See, I've never told anyone this before, but my father Zelus has visited me in a dream before. He tried convincing me to switch over to the Titan's side, the side where Kronos, the head Titan or whatever, is rising. I told him no. Luke was always bitter with the gods. Bitter about them. So that's why I'm thinking Luke went over to Kronos."

Brooke curled up into the fetal position. "Oh," she said mournfully. "Oh. Roslyn, do you see how bad this is? Kronos doesn't build. He destroys. This world would be a mess if…" She didn't neeed to finish her sentence, I knew what she was talking about. _If he rised. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Let me know how I'm doing so far! :) This chapter and the one before were written over six months ago, when my writing skills kind of, well... sucked. I'll be improving upon this sometime soon. :) **

* * *

That one sentence was all I thought about for the next few days. Even Jaden could tell I was out of it.

"C'mon, lets go to archery," he told me.

"We're going to suck anyways," I mutterred under my breath.

He looked at me with a quizzical, amused expression and grabbed my wrist.

"Come on, lets go." He dragged me over to archery. Gods, it's hell. I can't even hit the target from 10 yards, which probably even my grandmother could do.

After a long, boring day of countless hours doing nothing important, I curled up in my 6x4 foot space in the Hermes cabin. On a thin mattress, tucked in a corner with 27 other Hermes campers around me.

It took awhile, but I slowly slipped into a deep slumber.

"Roslyn?" I was in the white room again, my father in the corner looking at me directly. _Wake up, stupid! Don't let him persuade you! _I tried to tell myself to wakeup. No use.

"What?" I snapped. I wasn't going to play along to this lets-be-nice nonsense. I don't want my father to be a part of my life after he abandoned us.

"Rose-"

But before he could finish the sentence I snapped, "Don't ever call me Rose again. I'm Roslyn to you."

"_Roslyn,_" he said, "Just do this one favour for me. Before I ask you, gods can't contact their children. Zeus forbids us other than maybe once a decade. If you're lucky. I left your mother to protect you, Roslyn, although I know you'll never forgive me. I'll still think about her every day, and I haven't had any demigod children since you."

My heart beated faster but I knew if I said something, he would snap me out of this dream.

"I don't want you to get hurt, Roslyn. It would kill me. So please, my dear, join Kronos. When they invade Camp Half-Blood, they will kill the survivors. Roslyn, please. I am dedicated to my children, the very few I have. I will send you to Princess Andromeda, the ship, with Jaden. He's already thought about it. He's tired, just like you, of not being recognized."

If Jaden was… then I would. But he'd have to confirm. Who said I trusted my fathers' word?

"Zelus, I'll do it."

* * *

"Ah, _little _Rosie and Jaden." Luke whirled around and glared at us. "Join the party, have you?"

"Don't think this changes anything, Luke," I snap. "I still hate you."

Jaden appeared amused. "Rose, you know this is for the best. We'll be more than a stupid Aphrodite kid and an unknown girl."

"I know." I stalked out of the room with Luke in it; Jaden at my heels.

I turn to him. "Jaden, I only did this because of you. I don't know about Luke, and I definitely don't trust him, I don't know-" Jaden put a finger to my lips, leaning in so he was only a few centimeters from my face.

As soon as he looked me in the eye, a few seconds after the very private moment, I turned on my heel and walked away, because I knew I was going to cry. The emotion; leaving Camp Half-Blood, coming here... it hit me like a brick wall. Camp Half-Blood was my _home, _and no matter how bitter I was, I was dedicated to it.

"Rose…?" His voice was full of sadness. "Are you okay?"

"Not really," I laughed, wiping away a tear but becoming serious once more.

"Is it because of -"

"_Everything, _Jaden. I'm tired of everything and I don't know what to do. I don't know if this is the right decision, even."

"Roslyn, _look at me._" Jaden grabbed my wrists lightly, and looked at me closely. He studied me for a few moments, his sea-blue eyes pouring into mine. "Everything will be _fine. _It'll be alright, I promise you."

"Okay," I said hesitantly, even though I didn't believe him.

* * *

I tossed and turned that night in my cabin aboard the Princess Andromeda. The blankets were tied around my legs, restraining my movements. My breath was heavy, and it felt like I was drowning. After who knows how long of restlessness, I slipped into a light slumber.

_It was the ship that had met the two of us at the shoreline of Camp Half-Blood._

_Zelus had contacted me that night again; he was still rather annoyed with the fact that I refused to call him father, but that wasn't the most pressing matter. He had told me to pass on the message - to gather our things, just one backpack, and meet at the shoreline. The Princess Andromeda would pick us up there, rowing a lifeboat out to us and rowing it back in, taking both of us to the grand cruise liner._

_It was nearing midnight, and my backpack was all ready to go. I was ready to leave, physically. Mentally, not at all. I looked at my home for the past two years; all tall trees, cabins, the arena. Should I leave? Maybe I shouldn't. I probably shouldn't. Jaden can go. I'm too connected to this place, and who would I be, giving up my home?_

_"Are you ready? Let's go." But whenever Jaden offered words of encouragement, in that nice, gentle tone of his, I forgot about all of my worries. If Jaden was there, I'd be there. He was my friend, and if I was anything, it was loyal to friends._

_We made our way to the shoreline, speaking in low voices so nobody woke up to us sneaking out. _

_"There it is," he said, pointing to a flickering, white blob far off, getting closer by the minute. "Once we're on, it'll just disappear out of here, farther out of Long Island Sound. Nobody will see us leave - nobody will see us go." He looked so confident, standing at the shoreline of Long Island Sound, with his blonde hair fluttering in the wind. He patted down his hair, brushing it to the side with his fingers in a way only Aphrodite kids did._

_I felt a strong grip on my forearm - it wasn't Jaden. I jumped - who was it? This grip was cold and strong. I pivoted around quickly, opening my mouth; but my words died in my throat when I saw who it was._

_It was Brooke, her face looking gaunt and hollow._

_"Don't go, Roslyn, don't go! It's destruction, he doesn't build, he destroys! Please!" I stared at her with wide, fearful eyes, unmoving. Jaden evidently didn't see her - he was enjoying the fresh breeze the water brought to his skin, standing at the edge, waiting for the approaching boat to arrive. Brooke had another hidden talent of hers' - disappearing to people who she didn't want to see her._

_"I have to," I murmured so low Jaden didn't hear me, but I know Brooke did._

_"You can't, please," she pleaded. "Please stay, Rose. What about me? What about nature? And camp, and your home? And... why are you listening to Jaden? He's - "_

_"I have to," I murmured lowly again. "I'm sorry, Brooke."_

_She let go of me, looking sunken and defeated. "Just remember," she said, backing away slowly, "I will always be here to welcome you home." And with those last words, she disappeared. _

* * *

I woke up the next morning remembering every single little bit of my dream. It wasn't exactly a dream; it was a recap. It was a recap of that night- last night - twenty minutes before we arrived on the Princess Andromeda.

But I couldn't help but think _what if? _What if I had heeded Brooke's warning, and gone back, and stayed at Camp Half-Blood.

There was no turning back now, though.

"Ready, Roslyn? Luke says we have to report to the main deck for swordsmanship."

I adjusted the hilt on the side of my hip, still looking uncertain.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."


End file.
